Whistle



April 5, 1938. T. F. BUTTERFIE'LD 2,113,396

WHISTLE Fliled Nov. 2. 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4INVENIOR. Tho/nas fr drier/Vela.

ATTORNEYS.

April 5, 1938. T. F. BUTTERFIELD 2,113,396

WHISTLE Filed Nov. 2. 1935 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 /6 .6/ BY Mgwb@ Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED sTATEs WHISTLE Thomas F. Butterfield, Watertown, Conn.,

signor to Field Manufacturing Company,

N. Y., a corporation of New York New York,

Application November 7 Claims.

This invention relates to the fabrication of whistles, especially to a whistle of the type characterized by a body having a cavity in which a separately formed armature is vibratable by blowing into the cavity through suitably disposed orices, and particularly to such a whistle molded from a thermosetting or thermoplastic material.

In various known whistles of this character, the conventional structure comprises an integral formation of the walls completely surrounding the body cavity and operating orices with the exception of a lateral opening which is left to permit the introduction of the armature, the latter desirably taking the form of a spherical member made of felt, pith, cork or similar material which cannot conveniently be emplacedprior to, Alor during the molding operation. The last .named opening leading to the bodyv cavity only, is eventually closed by a plate or closure in the fabrication of these known whistles.

A whistle structure of the. above character is satisfactory in operation, yielding a strong, clear trilling sound, but its fabrication involves certain operations which are somewhat costly and require a degree of skill and refinement in work greater than are available with operatives of the class usually employed in the fabrication of such articles, which only nd a market at prices with a very limited spread for profit.

Among these sources of undesirable expense may be noted the diliiculties in providing and manipulating the cores which represent, in the molding operations, the eventual orices of the structure, and particularly the throat or elongated air-passage confined in the long, narrow mouthpiece, and also the mural orice which provides for suitably directed impact of the airblast against the usual sharp edge or soundprofor the final escape of thespent air.

An object of the present invention is to provide a whistle which embodies the desirable characteristics of the above described type, and which can be fabricated with less expense, thereby affecting favorably the spread between cost of production and the price at which such whistles can be marketed.

In pursuance of the above general object, an- 50 other object is'to provide a bi-part whistle, com- A prising symmetrically disposed side members, be-

tween the mutually contiguous faces of which areformed and enclosed not only the body cavity but'- also the aforesaid throat passage in the mouthpiece, and its associated sound-producing ducing member of the whistle, and also provides als- Inc.,

2, 1935, serial No. 41,934 (c1. 11s- 131) parts around the mural orice, such as the conventional sharp edges.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for securing these complemental sections of the whistle together in such fashion that their assembly and securement can be eifected by inexpensive means, applied in a unitary operation by workers having only average mechanical skill and experience.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses, and the'novel features of vthe invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, and the particular physical embodiment thereof selected to illustrate the invention, reference will be had to the accompanyingidrawings, and to the several views thereof, wherein like characters of reference designate like parts, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a whistle in the fabrication of which the present invention has been embodied;

Fig. 2 is aview thereof in front elevation;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a view in longitudinal vertical section ,taken on the mid-plane line 4 4 of. Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a view-in horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; l

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of a modification;

Fig. rI is a. view in front elevation of the whistle shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 9 is a vertical, sectional view on the irregular line 9-9 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a view like Fig. 6 but with one of the component members removed;

Fig. 11 shows said last-named component, separately;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary, detail View in vertical, longitudinal section of a whistleresembling that of Fig. 5, but with modified securement means; and

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Fig. 9 but illustrating the type of securement screw shown in Fig. 12.

In a lnow--preferred embodiment of the invention, selected for illustration and description, the .parts designated by the reference characters Il and I2 respectively, constitute a pair of clon-- gated members, adapted and intended to be assembled to form a whistle, for which purpose they are made preferably as substantially symrelation, and at the metrical halves of the whistle, each half conforming sensibly to the shape of the member I2, which is shown separately in the sectional view of Fig. 4, so that a description of this member will suice to permit ready understanding of both members, any desirable diierences in the structure of the halves being noted as the description proceeds.

Each half includes a body portion I3 and a mouthpiece or throat portion |4, and in the body portion of each member is formed a drumshaped cavity I5 adapted to receive loosely lthe vibratable armature I6 in the manner usual in such whistles. upper mural orifice I'I, at one margin of which is formed a V-shaped sound-producing part I8, having its sharp edge I9 disposed in opposition to the delivery end of a throat or passage 20, formed in the mouthpiece I4, and the other end 2| of which is of suitably greater cross-section at the mouth 22, as is usual in whistles. The

lower lip 23 is also of conventional form.

In a shoulder portion 24, intermediate the body and mouthpiece is provided a transverse bore 25,.formed with a shoulder 26, which is shown most clearly in Fig. 5, and when the members and I2 are assembled, a tubular rivet 21 is set in the bore 25 and headed over the shoulders 26 as illustrated to hold the members II and I2 in assembled relation.

The members rand I2 may desirably be formed with complemental lug portions 28, having bores 29, which register, as indicated, and have shoulders like those at 26, against which are upset the ends of a tubular rivet 30, the latter aiding to hold the members in assembled same time serving as a reinforcement of the lugs, when provided with a ring 3| (see Fig. 2) for convenience in the use of such a whistle.

It is apparent from the foregoing disclosure that the present invention provides a whistle with halves or members which are provided with complemental cavities, channels, and orices that cooperate in the nished article to receive the vibratable armature and to permit operation of the Whistle in the usual manner, with a resultant clear, strong, trilling sound that is equal in volume and attention-arresting quality with whistles of much more expensive construction.

No experience and no speci-al skill are required in the assembly of the components and I2, as the simple insertion of the rivets 2'I and 30 insures proper registry of the halves, and when the rivets are being set, as in an ordinary two-plunger riveting machine, the operator can complete the assembly of a whistle with a single stroke of the press. The bores 25 and 29 of the two members constitute complemental jig formations whereby the members may be mechanically registered at two points, thereby assuring complete registration.

On account of the communicating relationship of the throat-channel 20 and the mural orifice Il, with the body cavity I5, ,a simple form of die sufilces in the molding operation, and if the members and I2 be made symmetrical as shown, the same type of die can be used for molding each of the halves or members.

Although I have illustrated and described one particular physical embodiment of my invention and explained the principle, construction, and

Inode of operation thereof, nevertheless, I desire to have it understoodthat the form selected is merely illustrative, and does not exhaust the pos- The body portion also has anv general arrangement and purpose with the simj ilarly designated parts of the whistle shown in Figs. 1 to 5 and already described.

'I'he following differences of structure are to be noted, however, viz.:

The Whistle component member IIa: is made -of sufficient breadth to contain the entire body cavity |51 and the entire throat passage 20x; the sharp sound-producing edge |9x is also made therewith as an integral part, smooth and continuous throughout; and the lug 28a: is not divided and therefore may be provided with an unlined bore 291:, as shown, the tubular rivet 30 of Fig. 5 being omitted.

Instead of providing a ridge such as that shown at 32 in Fig. 4, to prevent escape of the armature through orifice I'I, as in Fig. 5, a clearcut, straight wall is formed at 32.1: (see Fig. 10).

In this form of the invention, provision is made of a complementa] member |2a: in the form of a iiat plate of suitable size and contour to serve as a closure for the body cavity .|5x, the throat passage 201: and the side of and for this purpose includes a body portion,

which is designated by the reference character |2.'c in Fig. 11, and a throat-cover portion 33, while a lug 34 wall opening |11.

This member has also an orifice 35 with a shoulder 36, adapted to register with a bore 25x in the shoulder 24x of member Ilz, to receive a rivet 30 like that in Fig. 5, by which the securement of the parts IIa: and I2a: in assembled relation is effected.

constitutes a side Wall for the The member |23: may desirably beset into the face of the member Ilm, therewith, as illustrated, and for this purpose the material of thel outer face of member Il is relieved, presenting a seat 31, surrounded by a shoulder 38, againstwhich the closure |2a: is snugly fitted, and is there held by the rivet 30,

preferably flush this arrangement having been devised by me topermit the natural shrinkage whichl may eventually be expected in the dimension of an article of originally plastic origin in the present state of the plastic art. 'l

This shrinkage, in prior art structures of the same general type, caused a loosening of the relatively small closure plates mentioned in the opening paragraphs of this application, which were Ausually screwed into a threaded seat, with resultant loss of the closure plate and armature, and Iconsequent destruction of the Whistle.

In the various forms illustrated, it will be observed that a positive, separately formed securement device is provided, of which the tubular` rivets 21 and 21a' are merely illustrative forms, it not being intended to exclude the'use of other forms of securernent.

As a desirable modification of the securing means, for example, I have illustrated in Fig.` 12 a known type of self-tapping screw 44 inserted .in a suitable bore 43 in the Whistle body members` 4| and 42. Preferably the bore portion formed in the member 4| is of such diameter that when the screw 44 is thrust thereinto it will exercise a self-tapping action in known fashion, the diameter of the bore portion in the member 42 being slightly larger, to avoid separating action, as between the members 4| and 42, along their mutually contiguous surfaces defined by the line 45.

These members are formed each with part 28 of an attachment lug having a bore 46, 41 into which is driven a self-tapping screw 48, which acts, just as does the screw 44, to hold the members together, this screw being spaced from the other screw just as the rivet 30 is spaced from the rivet 21 in the form of whistle shown in Fig. 5.

As the screw 48 is solid, however, a separate attachment bore 49 is formed in the lugs 28 to receive the attachment ring 3l. In other respects the whistle illustrated in Fig. 12 may be regarded as identical in structure with that of Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive.

So also, with respect to the modification illustrated in Fig. 13, the general structure of the whistle there shown in section may desirably be identical with that shown in detail in Figs. 6 to 11, or be substantially like that structure, with the exception that the bore 50, instead of being fitted with a tubular rivet, as in Fig. 9, is of uniform size through the member 5I, and adapted to receive a self-tapping screw 54, while the cover member 52 has an orifice 53, of slightly larger diameter than that of the bore 50, to permit an easy fit therein of the shank of screw 54, being countersunk to receive the bevelled head 55 of the screw 54, as is thebore 43 in Fig. 12.

In the whistle illustrated in the drawings, it

will be observed, further, that the periphery ofA the whistle is of a polygonal form, and embodies facets 39 which lie in planes transversely disposed with respect to the length of the whistle, and which meet in boundarylines' 40 that are parallel with the axis of molding withdrawal so that the withdrawn article needs practically no finishing, but presents glossy plane facet components and clearly defined edges therebetween.

This is characteristic of both forms illustrated, and in the instance of the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, where the bisecting plane is disposed longitudinally, I prefer to provide at least one of the halves with a low peripheral ridge 40a which masks the dividing line, and may desirably extend around the entire periphery of the article.

It will be evident from the foregoing disclosure, that the several forms of the invention illustratively set forth are characterized by the similar advantages of sturdiness and compactness in structure, with attractiveness in appearance, and by structural improvements which permit enhanced ease of fabrication and resultant economy that is reflected in a desirably increased spread between cost of manufacture and the price at which these whistles are marketable.

I claim:

1. As as article of manufacture, a whistle fabricated in a plurality of sections made of molded plastic material; said Whistle being characterized by having said sections secured together by a plurality of separately formed fastening devices, at spaced regions within the body of said sections, and free from projections .beyond the surface of said sections. v

2. A whistle characterized by the elements combined and cooperating as set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by having said elements embodied in substantially symmetrical complemental members each provided with a plurality of bores, one in said body portion, and

another, spaced therefrom, near an end of said body, each bore having a securement rivet, and

^ Ithe rivet in said end bore being tubular, to receive an attachment ring, and to serve as a reinforcement against Wear thereby.

3. A whistle characterized by the elements combined and cooperating as set forth in claim l, and further characterized by having said elements embodied in substantially symmetrical complemental members with a peripheral line of division, and at least one of said members having a ridge masking said division line.

4. As an article of manufacture, a whistle fabricated in a plurality of sections made of molded plastic material and characterized respectively by a polygonal peripheryhaving component facets extending transversely of the length of said whistle and parallel with the axis of molding withdrawal, whereby the withdrawn product embodies smooth plane component facets with rectilinear boundaries.

5. A whistle formed of originally plastic material and comprising as elements a body portion formed with abody cavity and a vibratable armature confined therein, saidbody portion having a mural orifice formed atone side with a sharp sound-producing edge, said whistle comprising -also a mouthpiece with a throat passage through which a blast of air may be delivered across said orifice against said edge, and said throat passage having a delivery opening through a` wall of said mural orifice opposite said edge, said wall being formed in part substantially at right angles to the general axis of said throat passage, and having a portion, below the passage, jutting toward said opposite sharp edge.

6. A whistle comprising a pair of substantially similar sections formed of plastic molded material, tubular rivets holding said sections in assembled relation and a ring member for receiving a exible retaining element; said sections having alined apertures therein receiving said rivets and said sections being formed to cooperate in providing a body portion having a sound chamber therein, a mouthpiece having a passage therein communicating with the sound chamber and a lug projecting from the body portion; one of said rivets being arranged in said lug and pivotally securing said ring thereto.

7. As an article of manufacture, a Whistle fabricated of a pair' of substantially similar sections formed of plastic molded material, said sections being held in assembled relation and having a ring member for receiving a flexible retaining element; said sections being formed to cooperate in providing a body portion having a sound. 

